December 28, 2015: A Bengaluru-based bike rental startup has expanded its services to the coastal city of Mangaluru from Monday. Royal Brothers, which has been renting out Royal Enfield bikes in India’s IT capital, has extended this service to Mangaluru, offering both Royal Enfield bikes and Honda Activa vehicles.

The company, started by Bengaluru-based techies, now offers services in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Manipal and Udupi. All these cities have a large student population and many of the students prefer to hire bikes while moving around the city.

Royal Brothers was launched initially to rent out just Royal Enfield motorcycles. The startup got the necessary approvals from the Karnataka government and the local RTO officials. A customer has to register his/her name and driver’s licence number on the company’s website, select the bike, the duration of the hire and the pick-up point.

Royal Enfield bikes are available for Rs30 an hour, whereas Honda Activa scooters cost Rs16 an hour. During weekends, there is a 10 per cent premium. Those hiring bikes also have to place a refundable deposit of Rs2,000.